You Either Die a Hero
by Just some girl
Summary: AU starting from 3x21. Damon and Stefan successfully hide Klaus's body, Elena becomes a vampire, Alaric dies. Flash forward 2000 years and the world is a much different place. As Harvey Dent said in the Dark Night: "You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." Note: no Klaroline in the first chapter, but trust me, it will get there!
1. John Whitmore

The year is 4012 and the world is very different from the one we know. Different geographically, socially, and technologically. In the last 2000 years, climate change and disease has devastated the human population. The only government that survived intact was Canada.

Over a thousand years ago regions of the world that were once rich in resources, became harsh deserts. Europe and Asia's populations were lost to aggressive and widespread infectious disease. Now, however, the remaining population of Canada has begun to colonize and repopulate the 'New Continent" (once the old world to many North Americans). They travel across the Atlantic, the plan to begin by repopulating Europe.

Their original plans were derailed when they discovered small villages of natives still remain, cut off technologically from the rest of the world. With these villages, rich in old culture and customs, comes stories of werewolves and vampires.

Is history just repeating?

oooooo

John

The sun was setting just beyond the tree line as they walked across campus, heading home from class. The streetlights already beginning to turn on. John was exhausted from the lecture they had just left, he was only half listening to his companion as they followed a pathway between buildings. His mind was on the cold beer waiting for him at home. He had Fridays off, so tonight he would get to relax a bit –

"And that's when I decided to send a holo of my naked chest to everyone in our class..."

" Wait what?!" John halted and looked over at his companion, she paused when she noticed him stop.

"Belinda!?" he asked incredulously. She looked up innocently at him with her big brown eyes.

"Oh so that part you heard, but the part where I ask you if you want to go to the gym tomorrow goes in one ear and out the other." She smirks at him. He laughs a little and rubs the back of his neck, a nervous habit.

"Sorry, Billie, my mind was wandering." They began their trek again.

"Anyways, as I was saying, I could really use your help tomorrow. You've always been great at motivating me and I really need to push myself with the Nipissing Triathlon only a month away." As she spoke he watched her out of the corner of his eye. Her small athletic body easily kept up with his longer strides.

"Yeah shouldn't be a problem, I didn't have anything planned." Which was only partly true, he had a standing date with their mutual roommate, Alex, to play a few hours of holo-games on Friday afternoons. But if he was being perfectly honest with himself, working out at the gym with Billie sounded like a much better day than sitting around the house with Alex.

Not that he minded Alex. In fact, both Alex and Billie had been his best friends since he met them two years ago. It started the summer after secondary school when John's grandmother had died. John 's biological father was a sperm donor and his mother had died in a freak air-bus accident when he was two. His grandparents had raised him for most of his life. But they weren't young when he came into their lives, and despite everything science and technology could do to prolong life, nobody lives forever. John's grandfather had passed away when he was fifteen and it hadn't taken his grandmother long to follow.

In her will, John's grandmother had left him their large house and an even larger inheritance. Her only request was that he use some of the money for post-secondary training. He had already applied and been accepted to the kinesiology program at North Bay University before she passed away, so it just made sense to stick to the plan as a means of dealing with his grief. It turned out to be the best decision he could have made because it led him to meet Billie and Alex.

John had met Billie on the first day of school. They were both taking Health Science 1001 and didn't know anyone. He chose a seat at the back of the lecture hall and was in awe the second the beautiful brunette sat next to him. They hit it off immediately and when she mentioned that herself and her cousin were still looking for an apartment to rent, he quickly offered up two rooms in his too large, too quiet home. Billie and her nerdy, anthropology-major cousin moved in not long after. John couldn't imagine his life without them now.

John was pulled from his musings by the sound of someone running up behind them. When he turned his head to check which side of the path the jogger would need space on, he was met with an unexpected fist to his temple. John didn't even have time to panic before his world went black.

It must not have taken long for him to come to because when he did it was to the sound of a struggle. John snapped his eyes open and unsteadily got to his feet. When his vision cleared it was to the sight of Belinda fighting off a man attempting to drag her around the side of a nearby building, towards a parking lot. John felt pure rage when he noticed Belinda's leg showing early signs of bruising and her arm bloodied with scrapes and scratches from elbow to wrist.

John took a deep breath as he realized her attacker was too distracted to notice anything beyond attempting to keep the upper-hand over the struggling woman. He would be able to use this to his advantage and surprise the man. However, John lost his cool when the man pulled out a gun, pointed it at Belinda and said "Fuck it, she said not to kill you... but you aren't worth this much effort, you dumb bitch. Besides, what harm can a little bullet in the leg do?"

Before he knew what was happening, the gun had been flung meters away and John was beating the man's head against the stone wall of the building. It took him a moment to realize that Belinda was shouting something at him.

"Stop, John, stop! It's okay, it's okay! Please stop!"

John loosened his grip on the man's neck and turned to see Belinda kneeling on the grass behind him, sobbing. He turned to look back at the man, only to find him slumped against the wall, eyes lifeless, blood seeping from a deep depression in his skull. John let go of the man and flung himself away from the body, scrambling to get as far away as he could. He suddenly felt sick and turned over, facing the grass on all fours, as he emptied the contents of his stomach. He felt Belinda approach him and rub his back. He heard her on her com-unit, calling 911.

John closed his eyes as he heard sirens in the distance. Guess he wouldn't get to have that beer tonight.

oooooo

John opened his eyes as he heard the cell door open. Officer Lee smiled at him as she motioned for him to follow her. As they walked she explained the situation to him.

"Just like I guessed last night, no charges will be laid against you. I'm sorry we had to keep you over-night, it's just procedure in situations of manslaughter – we needed time to do the required investigation. As it turns out, it was more of a clear case of self-defence than we originally thought. The guy has a pretty serious record in human-trafficking. Besides that, we have the entire attack on holos from campus security cameras.

After discussing the case with Crown counsel, it was decided that it would be a waste of resources to file charges against you, as a jury would never convict. And, in my opinion, I think you're a damn hero. Seems your girlfriend does too. She was here first thing this morning with that beanpole guy to get you."

"She's not my girlfriend, we're just roommates." John was fighting a smile.

"Sure okay, whatever you say, dude" Lee said, as she pressed the thumb-scan button to open the last security door leading to the reception area. "You're free to go."

John finally allowed himself to smile when he saw Belinda and Alex. Belinda leapt into his arms and gave him a tight hug. Alex was next with a shorter, manly shoulder squeeze.

"Let's get him out of here, Billie"

oooooo

The ride home was short and quiet. No one talked until they got home. Once John was in the door Belinda gave him another hug. She told him how thankful she was that he was home and explained that she barely slept last night. He reassured her that he was okay and suggested she take a nap. Once she agreed and had headed upstairs, John turned to Alex.

"Beer, pizza and holo-games?" Alex said sheepishly.

They both headed down to the entertainment room in the basement and John laughed, "Yeah, that sounds pretty perfect."

oooooo

It was around dusk when John first felt it. It started like with an ache in his bones that reminded him of the growing pains he felt as kid. Suddenly there was a sharp pain in his gut, like nothing he had felt before. He tumbled off the couch, knocking over beer bottles on the way down.

"You okay, man?" Alex looked at him with concern, pausing the game.

"I don't know. Fuck." John grunted out.

John felt pure pain and terror as his bones began to break and reform at different angles. Alex looked at him with fear and panic as he felt his body transforming.

John managed to growl out one word as he lost his sense to the all consuming pain.

"Run!"

oooooo

John awoke to the glare of sunlight in his face. He opened his eyes to see the basement windows above him. His first thought was that he must have fallen asleep mid holo-game last night. He second thought was to wonder why we wasn't wearing any clothes.

He looked around to see the couch shredded, the holo-display smashed, and his pants in pieces.

Suddenly, it all came back to him.

He grabbed an old quilt that was still in one piece and wrapped it around his bottom half. Then he tore up the stairs to see if Alex and Billie were okay. He could only remember vague snippets of the night and the thought of unintentionally hurting them made him sick with worry.

When he reached the top of the stairs he found the metal door to the main floor shut. It was an unexpected sight as the door was typically left open due to it's lack of a doorknob. He'd never put much thought into its existence before now actually, but recalled with relief that on the opposite side there was a large heavy duty bolt. He knew now that Alex must have made it out of the basement safely and bolted the door behind him.

John knocked lightly on the door, feeling a little ashamed and not knowing what explanation to give his friend. He let out puff of air as he heard the bolt slide open.

When the door opened Alex and Billie stood on the other side.

"Sooo" Alex said casually "How long have you been a werewolf?"

John raised his eyebrows, not knowing what to say.

Belinda saved him by saying "Alex, let's let the man put on some clothes while we make breakfast. John shouldn't have to respond to your nonsense before he's had a coffee."

John gave her a smile before heading up to his room. As he ascended the staircase he heard Alex stage-whispering to Billie. "_It's not nonsense, there have been documented werewolf sightings throughout history! And you said yourself that you heard growling last night!_"

As he pulled out a pair of sweats from his dresser, John mulled over the events of the last 48 hours. If he was honest with himself, he found it easy to understand where Billie was coming from. Even after what he had gone through, he found it hard to accept that all those stories his grandfather had told him were true. He started to feel guilty after all those years of laughing off the old man's warnings. As old feelings of grief over the loss of his grandparents began to resurface, John remembered the family journals.

ooooo

Billie jumped a little over by the stove when John dropped the pile of journals onto the kitchen table. He smiled apologetically at her as he helped Alex prevent the stack from sliding to the floor.

"What's all that?" She asked as she worked on their breakfast.

"My family journals. I figured we could all the answers we need from these. Plus I should have shown them to Alex ages ago cause they are right up his alley. I had forgotten all about them after I put a lot of my grandparent's stuff in the attic."

He ignored the looks of sympathy he could sense were being directed his way as he sorted through the journals. John didn't look up until he found the one he was looking for.

"This one is the oldest, the dates on it are about 300 years old. It should probably be in a museum, they should probably all be in an archive somewhere, but the old man loved them. He used to read them to me like they were bedtime stories. Stories about our ancestors turning into wolves on the full moon."

"Werewolves, I told you, Billie!"

"Yeah, yeah, eat your breakfast."

John thanked her as she brought over their food and sat down next to him. She smiled at him and pulled her long tresses into a ponytail.

"I guess it's hard to deny what I heard last night. There was definitely an animal behind that door. And then when Alex and I went down there, after you went upstairs ... the destruction. I mean, I've heard the legends like everyone else. I just found it hard to believe. Next thing you're going to tell me vampires are real too."

"Actually, there is some evidence they might, or at least that they used to exist." Alex said, in that know-it-all tone he tended to get when he spoke about anything tied to his major, "But info is limited compared to what we have collected about werewolves. And there hasn't been any documented sightings in the last 1500 years or so. Werewolves, however, there's been sightings over on the New Continent as recently as the year 3943.

"What I'm interested to know though is, why now? We've lived with you for two years now and I'm pretty sure this is the first full moon that you've turned into a wolf. Are the theories true that a werewolf bite creates a new werewolf?"

John laughed, "No that's a myth according to my grandfather. It's genetic. It's a curse, passed down in my family through my grandfather's side."

"So you've always been a werewolf?"

"No, I've just always had it in me to be one, I guess the old man did too... maybe my mother as well. There's a trigger to the curse. To become a werewolf, we have to first take a human life. And I guess that happened the other night."

The colour drained from Billie's face. "This is all my fault." She moaned, her forehead hit the table.

"Definitely not!" John said savagely. His eyes were blazing "That man would have attacked any woman walking that path last night. You are in no way at fault for what happened! I can't even think about what would have happened if I hadn't been there to stop him."

Alex and Billie looked startled at his sudden emotional outburst. John calmed down and looked a little sheepish. "Besides" he said, "I guess I'm joining a long list of Whitmore werewolves. I suspect that metal door to the basement isn't a coincidence. This house has been in my family for generations."

"I suspect I will grow to be thankful for that door in time" John sighed, "I will have to go through that transformation every month for the rest of my life."

Billie smiled reassuringly at him, "Yeah, okay, werewolf, but that's not _all_ the time. I mean, three days out of the month, _I'm_ not much fun to be around either." John smiled back, relieved to have someone in his life who would be understanding.

"Hmmm" Alex had been uncharacteristically quiet for a while, so his voice cut through the duos' moment. "There might actually be a cure for that."

"What?" Billie blushed, "For my period? Yeah it's called pregnancy, or menopause... and of course there are pills. As the only female in this group, I'm pretty sure I'm the expert in th-"

"No, no." Alex cut in, not really paying attention. "A cure for werewolve-ism... werewolve-itice... the curse."

"What makes you think there is a cure?" Asked John. "I feel like if there was one, the old man would have known about it."

"It was in an article published in _Social Anthropology Monthly_. I have a subscription. Although, I have to say I think I will be doing my graduate work in physical anthropology, but I digress." Alex paused, possibly for effect, but mostly likely to make sure he had their full attention, "It's this legend of the sun and the moon curse. There's not much known about it, but supposedly it's the key to knowing how to break the curse and free those afflicted from it's restrictions – free werewolves from the moon.

"Maybe if we track down the author of the article, we could get more information and find a way to break the curse."

oooooo

John wiped some sweat off his forehead after they stepped into the bar, out of the Philadelphia heat. The bar was a relieve after travelling on foot in that arid climate. They had travelled to the ancient United State city, now no more than a research colony, in the hopes of finding their contact. Ms. Falcon, the author of the article, had not returned any of their calls or PMs. After contacting the editors of _Social Anthropology Monthly_, the three friends had been able to get a residential address.

Once arriving in Philly they had checked into the only hotel and then wasted no time in going to the address. Unfortunately no one was home. Billie, not willing to give up so easily, suggested they find some place to relax for a bit and then try again later.

After settling into a booth and ordering three glasses of water, John tried to think of some way to thank his friends for travelling all this way to help him. It hadn't been easy and had taken a few months planning and coordination with the full moon cycle. He was about to tell them what was on his mind when he notice Alex staring at the bar. John followed Alex's line of sight to see a beautiful blonde nursing a rum and Pepsi.

"You know Alex, this is a bit of a spring break." John said, smirking at Alex. "You could try to get lucky." He shared a smile with Billie.

Alex blushed. "No that's not it, I think I recognize her. I did a little research and it took a lot of digging, but I found one picture of Falcon. I had thought it was an old picture, but it must have been recent because it looks just like her."

John looked over at her again. "Well that's a good place to start. 'Hi my name's Alex, I'm a really big fan'. Next thing you know, you're working on a thesis together, if you know what I mean". Billie rolled her eyes.

Alex took a deep breath and then got up. John was a little surprised but then, smiled in encouragement. He didn't know Alex had it in him.

They watch Alex walk over to her, she was angled a little away from them, but she was close enough they should be able to hear everything. Alex looked nervous but determined.

"Hi, are you Rose Falcon? Rose Brie Falcon?"

"What do you want kid?"

"Were you the one that wrote that article about the sun and the moon curse? I've been trying to do some research on it and - "

"Piss off. I haven't the patience to listen to another one of you academics and your juvenile theories." With that she got up from the bar and disappeared down a hall towards the washrooms.

Alex slowly came back to their booth his face beat red. John felt his blood pressure rising. They had come all this way, and that stuck up bitch thought she could just stomp all over his friend. John got up from the booth and stomped towards the washrooms, vaguely hearing Billie call out to him.

As he made his way down the hallway he saw her coming out of the women's washroom.

"Listen lady, you have no right to be so rude. Look at you, you barely look 18. What makes you think you can talk down to people like that?!"

Before John knew what was happening she had him by the throat, pushed up against the wall. He felt his feet dangling and found himself amazed at her strength.

"Listen wolf-boy, you need to be careful who you speak to like that. I don't know where you came from, but I would show a little more respect to strangers. You never know who you'll run into. Plus there's no full moon to save you tonight. " As she spoke, fangs descended from her upper jaw and dark veins appeared around her eyes. John had never felt more frightened in his life.

Before he could say anything Alex and Billie came around the corner and into the hallway. John tried to tell them to run, but couldn't get the words out. The woman noticed she no longer had his attention and turned towards the newcomers.

As she did, her fangs disappeared and she lowered John to the floor.

John sat coughing and Billie ran towards him, past the woman. He tried to shove her away and tell her to run, but she only placed herself between him and the woman.

"Get away from him." Billie looked terrified, but determined.

The woman looked calmly down at them, her face practically expressionless. But there was a hint of something, something John could only describe as wistfulness.

"Are you two with him?" The woman asked, pointing at Alex.

"Yes", John said regaining his voice. "Are you Rose Falcon?"

"Actually, my name is Caroline Forbes. Rose Brie Falcon is my pseudonym." She smiled and John was reminded that he had first found her beautiful. And then she said something he had been hoping to hear.

"I think I can help you."

ooooooo

**Gold star to anyone who picked up on the Buffy quote!**


	2. Alexander Dawson

**Thank you to my two reviewers! Lexana and Jinx-inside, this one's for you :) (P.S. Lexana, you were really close, but not quite. It was the 'three days of the month I'm not much fun to be around either' line)**

**oooooo**

Alex

He couldn't be sure, but he was beginning to suspect he was in the presence of a vampire. His first hint had been the fangs and super strength. Theoretically, she could have been a werewolf, like John; but, unlike John, her transformation had been quick, limited, incomplete, and not tied to the moon. He was willing to admit he wasn't an expert on werewolves, even after pouring through all of the Whitmore family journals. However, he was fairly sure werewolves age.

That led him to his second hint, her physical appearance. He'd doubted himself before, but now he was almost positive the holo he had found of her was from 40 years ago. At the time he had assumed the holo would only be mildly helpful in finding her, because by now she would be in her 60s and look much different. He was aware of procedures to slow aging, but nothing short of magic could keep someone looking exactly the same for 40 years.

Put the two together and he was fairly certain he had just met his first vampire. This was so cool! There was really not much reliable information was out there. Sure there was plenty of ancient classical literature available; but, after walking out into the bright Philadelphia daylight with her, the idea that she might sparkle in the sun seemed like the sort of voodoo hogwash savages would tell each other around a campfire. This was the perfect opportunity to get a sense of fact from fiction.

He hoped that with John's street cred as another supernatural being, she would be more open to answering the questions he had. As he followed Billie and John into her home, Alex was struck with the thought that there was one thing the literature was completely undecided about: were vampires good or evil?

oooooo

The three friends found themselves seated in a fairly modern looking living room. Caroline had offered to get refreshments, and when Billie answered in the affirmative, she disappeared down the hall.

"So" Alex said, "Vampire?"

John looked pensive. "That would explain a lot."

"But aren't vampires the bad guys?" Billie whispered, "Should we trust her?"

"Do you mean, have I brought you all here to drain you of your blood and then bury your bodies in my backyard?" Caroline said as she entered the room with a tray containing a pitcher of lemonade and cups. "Well that would certainly be rude and my mother raised me to be an excellent hostess."

Belinda blushed.

"Sorry, vampire hearing. I overheard the entire conversation from the kitchen." Caroline explained as she served up the cold drink. After pouring herself a glass she took a seat in a nearby armchair.

The three friends quietly watched her sip her drink. Caroline looked up and noticed they weren't drinking from their own glasses. "I didn't poison it, if that's what you're thinking."

"No, no" Alex said, finding his voice after taking a sip. "It's just, I suppose, we thought you wouldn't drink 'human' beverages. Only..." he found it hard to get the words out at this point, not knowing if it was a sensitive issue.

John saved him the trouble, bravely cutting in, "We thought, maybe you would only drink blood."

Caroline smiled. "Well I do need blood to survive. But a little lemonade is still enjoyable after all these years." She laughed when she observed the nervous glances from the three friends. "And I haven't consumed blood from the source in a few hundred years. It's never really appealed to me and ever since a quality synthetic blood was developed, I haven't needed to steal medical stockpiles of the real stuff."

"A few hundred years?" Billie breathed, expressing what was now on all their minds. "How old are you?"

Alex was glad Belinda had asked the question. He had only been thinking in terms of decades because of that holo, but now he realized she could be any age.

Caroline looked a little sheepish, which was an odd expression to see on her face and went a long way to humanizing her in his mind. "Oh not that long really, when you think about it. Just a couple thousand years."

You could have heard a pin drop.

Caroline's eyes were full of mirth. She let out a little chuckle. "Oh wow, you should see your faces."

Alex looked at his friends and they shared equal expressions of shock. John's eyes looked a little glazed as he likely attempted to process what two thousand years meant. Billie was a bit sharper and Alex could see a question forming on her lips.

"So you've seen quite a bit then I imagine." Billie began and Caroline nodded. "Is that why you know so much about this sun and moon curse? You said you could help John."

"Yeah, about that. It's not really what you think. I mean, there isn't really a sun and moon curse in the way you are thinking and the cure isn't exactly what you might be expecting. To my knowledge, John, you will never be human again. The cure, is only a cure for suffering under the power of the moon. The cure is to make you a hybrid. Half werewolf, half vampire. The vampire part of you would give you control over the wolf, you would have the power to transform at will. You would have the choice to never go through that painful transformation again."

John was silent as he took all this in. Alex watched the disappointment drain from his face to be replaced by a look of contemplation. Alex took this as an opportunity to butt in with his own questions.

"So why write the article? What do you get out of all this? And how do you make John a hybrid? Is it the same process humans go through to become vampires?"

Caroline hesitated. "It might be easier if I start from the beginning. This story is older than me, so bear with me. 3000 years ago humans were colonizing North America, amongst them was a witch. It was said that, werewolves often terrorized the colonists and the witch feared for the lives of her children. This fear drove her to call on some pretty dark magic and turn her children into the world's first vampires.

"The process of turning into a vampire is pretty horrific. First you must die with vampire blood in your system. Then, when you awake, you must feed on human blood or you will soon succumb to a true death. Quite often, vampires are completely out of control when they are first turned. It's normal for them to, perhaps unintentionally, drain their first human dry.

"As is turned out, the witch had been pretty naughty. At some point she'd had an affair with one of the natives. Her middle child, Nicklaus, carried the werewolf gene. I believe everyone was a little surprised when Niklaus's first kill triggered the gene, none more so than Klaus himself. Anyways, there was a bit of family drama, and mama witch put a spell on him causing the werewolf side of him to be suppressed. Flash forward 1000 years and one small ritualized sacrifice, Niklaus as broken the curse. As the original hybrid he is the most powerful being on earth. But more to the point, with the curse broken, Niklaus's blood could now be used to to create hybrids. With a bit of his blood in their system, werewolves could turn into hybrids and escape the restraints of the moon.

"Unfortunately, before anyone could really make use of this and process what it really meant, two plucky vampire brothers – let's call them tweedle-dumb and tweedle-dee – decide they know what's best for everyone. The brothers, along with the help of a witch, manage to incapacitate Klaus forever and hide his body away where no one could find it."

Here, Caroline paused and looked fiercely at John. "But I know where he is. I've been waiting for the right opportunity. If you are willing, we can wake Niklaus and give all werewolves the chance to be free."

"Again, why would you do this for us?" Alex piped up. "What's in it for you? I was under the impression werewolves and vampires were natural enemies."

Caroline took a deep breath. "You're right, we are naturally enemies, which is why I've been waiting for a werewolf to come to me for help. I assumed I would have trouble convincing one to trust me otherwise." She paused again, this time quieter. "As for what's in it for me. It's a means of revenge. One of the Salvatore brothers, tweedle-dumb ... Damon... murdered the love of my life. He was the first hybrid Klaus ever made. I'm positive that if we wake Klaus and I tell him where Damon is, after breaking your curse, Klaus will happily kill Damon. That's all I want."

To this, Alex didn't know what to say. As usual he was glad to have Billie present.

"I can't imagine what it must be like to live forever after someone you love has passed on." Billie murmured after glancing at John. Caroline gave her a tearful smile and the two women shared a moment of understanding.

Caroline cleared her throat and turned to John. "So what do you say? Have I convinced you to travel with me and awaken Klaus?"

John was quiet for a moment, running the fingers of his right hand through his short blond hair. "Yes. The thought of going through that transformation again in two a a half weeks... if I never have to do that again, it will be worth it. I will be in control of myself again, I wont be afraid of hurting the ones I love. Yes, let's do it."

Caroline smiled with triumph. "Alright let's get planning. Two weeks isn't very long."

oooooo

Alex looked out the window of the air-ship, watching the distant ground below speed past. He looked up at the beautiful blond flying the ship. "So tell me again about this King? I thought the United States had a president, not a king?"

Caroline smiled at him from her position at the helm. "You're right! We did have a president, it was a democracy similar in some ways to Canada. The King wasn't a real king, he was a rock and roll legend."

"So this temple we're going to break into, it's not his former seat of power?" Alex asked.

"No it's not even a temple, it's just an old museum. Though I suppose for some, visiting Graceland was a bit of a religious experience." She laughed to herself. "I suppose Damon and Stefan thought they were being funny when they hid the 'King of the Hybrids' in the home of another sort of king."

Alex turned as he heard the doors of the cockpit slide open. He watched as Billie and John walked in, Billie tying her dark wet hair up in a bun. John's hair was wet too. "Decided to share a shower and conserve resources? Good call." Alex winked at John.

Billie glared at Alex. "We had separate showers. There is plenty of water." She turned to Caroline. "How much longer?"

Caroline double checked the navigation system. "We should be landing in Memphis in about 20 minutes. I'm going to trying to get us in as close to the entrance to Graceland as I can. It'll be too hot for you and Alex to spend much time outside. We should try to get underground as quickly as possible."

Billie looked up at John and asked "Want to go have a quick game of holo badminton?" He nodded and smiled as he followed her back through the door.

Caroline and Alex watched them go. "Like a little puppy" she sighs. "How long have they been together?"

Alex laughed "Oh they aren't officially, but it's only a matter of time. We've all been living together for a couple years now. I imagine if I just moved out, they might finally realize they've been a couple all along."

oooooo

Alex followed the group down the dark corridor, his heavy backpack making it difficult to keep up. It's was moments like these he was jealous of John's more athletic body. They were both taller than average, but John was bit of a brute – all muscle and broad shoulders. It didn't help that Billie was always in good shape and Caroline had that vampire strength going for her. The result was Alex trailing behind.

They had made their way through the abandoned museum, down into the basement. It seemed that a lot of memorabilia was stored down here, some in huge crates. He could see how easy it would be to hide a body down here, but at least Caroline seemed to have a sense of where to go.

She was at the lead and brought them to a halt in front of one of the larger crates. Using her vampire strength she tore off the lid with ease. The three friends came a little closer, their curiosity getting the better of them. Inside lay a shriveled and grey body nestled in hay. Packed away like an ancient treasure. Suddenly Klaus's eyes popped open, startling the gang.

Caroline stepped back from the crate and dropped her backpack. She pulled out the collapsible bathtub from inside and began to stretch it out. "Here, Billie, will you do this while John and I go back to the ship to get more synthetic blood?"

Billie nodded and finished the job while Caroline and John disappeared. She motioned to Alex to start filling up the tub with the blood. As they worked, Alex tried not to shiver over the feeling of being watched. He couldn't even bring himself to go near the crate again until Caroline and John had returned.

Once the tub was full of blood, John and Caroline lifted Klaus's body from the crate and submerged him in the blood. At first, there was nothing but a few bubbles. Alex was beginning to worry that the synthetic blood wasn't going to work, when suddenly Klaus sprang from the tub, fangs bared.

With inhuman speed, Klaus shot over to Billie and pulled her to him, wrenching her neck to the side. Alex could only watch in horror as the hybrid sank his teeth into his cousin's neck, Billie too stunned to put up a fight.

Suddenly Caroline was pulling Klaus back with all her might as John got between Klaus and Billie. Faster than Alex thought possible, Klaus had Caroline pinned to the floor. Still too frightened to move he could only watch from afar as John held Billie to him. Both were reassured when Billie hugged John back, giving him a tight smile.

Alex turned back to Caroline and Klaus and watched as the hybrid stroked the side of Caroline's face. "How nice of you to set me free, love." Klaus growled out. He got off of her and helped her to her feet. "What's more, I'm surprised to see Ms. Gilbert as your accomplice. Did she end up ditching both the Salvatores for this wolf? I have to say I didn't see that plot twist coming. How long have I been out?"

Alex was confused. Who was Ms. Gilbert? He turned to Billie and John, who looked just as confused.

It was Caroline who provided the necessary explanation.

"Klaus, it's been 2000 years. That's Belinda, the most recent doppelganger."

ooooooo

**Dun dun dun! Did anyone see that one coming?**


End file.
